In the spirit of reducing the environmental impact associated with fabricating mailpiece envelopes, i.e., the number of trees cut, transported and consumed, interest is increasing for mailpiece envelopes which can be used more than once. For example, in a typical billing process, a first envelope containing a bill/request for payment, is mailed to a recipient and, a second envelope, contained and delivered within the first, is used by the recipient to return payment. Hence, two (2) envelopes are consumed in a typical billing process. Inasmuch as this type of mail communication is perhaps the most common form of exchange, an envelope which can be used multiple times, offers a unique opportunity to lower the cost of mailing and save natural resources.
Various attempts have been made to introduce a single envelope which may be reconfigured for reuse by the mail recipient. That is, envelopes have been designed which, after initial mailing, may be used again for return correspondence. In this specific instance, a single reusable envelope substitutes for two (2) or more envelopes, such as those required for bill/payment mail communications, discussed in the preceding paragraph.
While the motivation to implement reusable envelopes is well-understood and appreciated, especially in view of the current environmental climate, difficulties associated with (i) alterations during delivery, (ii) damage to the envelope, (iii) ease of use, and/or (iv) high fabrication cost, have slowed the widespread acceptance of such envelopes. For example, when a mailpiece is delivered, automated handling equipment used by the United States Postal Service (USPS), scans the mailpiece to read a “pre-sort” or “preprinted'barcode”, i.e., a barcode indicative of the recipient's destination address and which is used for sorting batches of mail into route/delivery order sequence. Should the pre-sort barcode be absent from the mailpiece, a scanner reads the destination address (i.e., via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) program code) and a barcode representative of the destination address is printed on the face of the mailpiece. This barcode information, also referred to as a POSTNET barcode, is now used by the automated handling equipment, e.g., distribution center sorters, to perform the requisite sorting (i.e., ZIP code or route order). Furthermore, the USPS uses these barcodes or Intelligent Mail Barcodes (IMBs) to encode the destination address.
While the printed barcode facilitates subsequent handling of a typical mailpiece i.e., one intended for one-way mail communications, the alterations produced by printing a barcode on the face of the envelope can create confusion during a subsequent mail delivery, i.e., mailpieces intended for reuse. For example, destination information printed during the preceding delivery, i.e., the barcode printed by the USPS, can, during a subsequent mail delivery, result in a “returned” mailpiece. That is, if the scanner interprets the previously printed barcode as the current destination address, the mailpiece will be delivered/returned to the sender's address rather than to the actual destination address.
While the printed barcode can be readily removed by erasure, or obscured by a label, each of these methods requires a positive action by the sender to reuse an envelope. That is, these methods require that directions posted on the reusable envelope, .e.g., “remove attached label and cover any information/barcode printed in lower right corner”, be read by the sender and that and that the directions be followed correctly. Inasmuch as such directions can be inadvertently overlooked or incorrectly followed, it is disadvantageous for reusable envelopes to require actions other than those typically associated with mailing envelopes, e.g., open flap, insert content material so that the address can be seen though a transparent window, seal, apply postage, etc. Hence, reusable envelopes which are easy to use, i.e., do not require any unusual actions, will be most successful.
Other difficulties associated with reusable envelopes relate to the cost of fabrication and, more particularly, to the cost of invested capitol associated with new tooling or automated fabrication equipment. With respect to the latter, envelope manufacturers are, oftentimes, reluctant to invest in new equipment capable of handling the relatively complex flat patterns associated with reusable envelopes. That is, unless the flat patterns closely approximate those required for conventional mailpiece envelopes, a large investment may be required to fabricate unique, one-of-a-kind, tooling for processing more complex patterns. Inasmuch as these incremental additional costs cannot be easily amortized, the cost of the conventional two (2) envelopes can be less and more profitable than the cost of a single reusable envelope.
A need, therefore, exists for a reusable envelope which is facilitates ease of use, minimizes the cost of fabrication, and eliminates the potential for subsequent mail delivery errors due to information printed initial mail delivery.